


Fight for me

by Eriside



Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-04
Updated: 2016-06-04
Packaged: 2018-07-12 02:38:29
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,231
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7081429
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Eriside/pseuds/Eriside
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>She seemed like a ghost of herself and kept rejecting him. There was nothing he could do, except giving her freedom. "Choose me, or leave me. But if you go, you will be treated like anyone else. I will show no mercy."<br/>Caitlyn chose to walk off...</p>
            </blockquote>





	Fight for me

He had given her an ultimatum and took off. A true choice of free will? This had to be a trap, but also her only chance to get away from him, Zoom, Hunter, Jay – whoever he was. The stairwell down to the entrance hall was the hardest to pass. Unnerved, Caitlyn looked over her shoulder every second step she took. Her heart was racing colouring her face red. After squeezing herself along the wall in the entrance hall, she had finally left the building. The streets were empty and silent. 'This is all wrong, it must be a trap.', she thought. Awaiting for a black-clothed figure to come forward from one of the shadows, she stood there. One minute, then a second and a third. No movements so far. 'This is my only chance, be gone before he comes back', Caitlyn reassured herself. Zoom took her from the only place she always felt safe, so she knew she wasn't safe anywhere she would go. But the perspective of being with her team, her family, was giving her comfort. 'In the worst case, he'll take me back. Or, maybe, he will be too pissed off and kills me right away. Or later, when he would come for the others. Mhh. So, this is why it he lets me go. It makes all sense now – Be with him or be against him.' At this point she moved through the city sobbing. 'How could someone be so cruel? Barry lost his mother too, his father was taken away to prison and still he never lost ...mhh, what exactly did he lose? His mind, his sanity, his humanity?'

Caitlyn could already see Star Labs from afar. Once more, she looked over her shoulder. Nothing. The emptiness of the city was making her uncomfortable. She kept walking on, scanning her surroundings. Finally, she ascended the ramp to Star Lab's staff parking lot. Three cars were left in the dim light closely to the entrance. Before taking a step on the actual parking site, she paused and looked around. Again nothing. The doctor took a deep breath and moved forward. Suddenly the little hairs on her neck stood on end. Something was definitely wrong. She halted and turned back to the access. Still nothing. She walked backwards to the building, not leaving her eyes off the barely lit street across the parking lot. Halfway to the entrance she assured herself there was nothing. Nothing that mattered anyway. So she turned back and immediately there was this feeling again, being watched. Without hesitation she spun herself around, realising she was keeping away from the lighting that lit the area. She scanned the street and the bushes around. A good way up the street she saw movements. A bold figure mounted a motorcycle and put his helmet on. “Jay.”, she hissed. 'No, this is not Jay. There is no Jay. Jay and Hunter and Zoom are the same. But why bother to come by motorcycle?' The engine started with a faint noise and the figure moved slowly forward.

 

***

 

He saw her when she left the police station, hesitated and moved on. A part of him was relieved to see her finally doing something instead of passively wasting away. Another part was sad, and angry. It meant she left him. The only person who showed affection and support his entire life. She never asked anything in return. Only to leave her alone. When she vanished in the shadows ahead, he realised she hadn't looked back, just around. Almost the same moment, Hunter had to gasp for air. His chest felt too small to breathe, empty and heavy. The heart in the middle was pumping heavily, with all its force, but not racing. What the hell was this? He had never felt this way before.

He looked over to the other building, to the window where Cait just had been minutes before. Hunter raced over before he could even think about it, looking around. 'You already know she's gone, you saw her leaving, what are you doing here? What are you doing?', he questioned himself. He looked across the desks. There was no note. Not even a good-bye. But what did he expect? She left. Of course, he was still hoping she would stay with him, eventually admitting to herself that she loved him. That she loved him the way he was, who he was.

Hunter realised Cait would go back to Star Labs, on foot. She might need a guard. But being Zoom may draw to much attention to the other meta-humans. Hence, he raced with blue sizzles over his body to his former apartment, changed and hopped on his motorcycle. “The ones from this earth are far nicer than on Earth-2”, he told himself when he started the engine and drove off. With no other human beings around to cover his traces he found himself in a strange position. He, Zoom, would have to look around to hide from his employees. Well, rather minions, the speedster thought. He could see Cait from the distance walking down the other block, slowly moving he could see her now and then. When she was already close to her destination, he sped up and took a detour to arrive before her from the other side. The leather-clad man stopped away from her sight behind bushes near the former bus station which was taken back by the wild life but still well-lit. Crouched in hiding he monitored every step she took towards Star Labs over the parking lot. She was unnerved he could tell. A number of times she would turn back, scan the surroundings and take a few steps before she would hesitate again. Finally, she was pacing up to the entrance and vanished in the dark. It was final. She would not come back. Ever.

He lifted himself, bent his knee over the machine and dropped on the seat. There was this strange situation again. Hunter had to breathe heavily before fixing the helmet around his chin. Turning the ignition key, the motor started buzzing and he took off slowly not to startle her. He didn't get far before he could hear a familiar voice calling out his name. “Hunter!” Facing the parking lot he could see her running, towards him. Confused, Hunter came to a halt at the access and Cait reached him only a couple of seconds later. “Hunter!”, she called again. Was she expecting him? He didn't know himself he would find his way to her after giving her a choice. He tilted his head down to remove the helmet and when he looked up his eyes met hers. “What are you doing?”, they said in a chorus. She didn't seem insecure or frightened as all the time before, she had something fierce, the man on the motorcycle thought. Gesturing with her palm she asked him to speak up. “I – I thought you might need a safe passage.” He looked down, feeling like being caught doing something he shouldn't have done. “I said I'd give you a free choice, and I did. But I was afraid for you. I am always scared for you. Because I love you.” With his last words Hunter lifted his face. “Cait…”

 

***

 

He wasn't here as Zoom, he was Jay. Sort of. She realised before walking back on him that everything she did, didn't matter at all. He could do with her anything at any time he wanted. For the first time since he wasn't Jay any more he gave her choices of her own will. Further, he didn't come as the bad speedster, he came with his motorbike and his leather jacket. Caitlyn could not explain her sudden boldness. “Don't ...” she started, but thought otherwise. “What the hell do you think you are doing? I've really had enough now. You are Jay, then you kill Jay. You are Zoom, but with me you are not Zoom. You say you love me and subsequently you go off killing people and destroying my h-o-m-e, hurting people I care about. I am scared of you. I loved Jay, and you think I can love someone else just as easy? Do you really think your actions do not matter?” While lecturing him tears started to wet her face. She cried heartbreakingly. Hunter wouldn't know what to do, so he kept staring at her, mute. Touching her was not an option. It would make everything worse, he learnt that much already in the last weeks. Unexpectedly, she came closer, griping his right shoulder with her left hand and sobbing. “I miss – you – so much. You are just there and then not.” Hunter kept his hands on his lap, then reached out with his left hand to her on his shoulder, resulting in more weeping. Caitlyn felt confused, shifting between affection and hate. Eventually, she felt her feet giving in, so she sunk to Hunter's lap sobbing into his chest. Hesitantly he wrapped his arms around her. She didn't resist, she just kept crying with her hands clutched to his jacket. They sat like this for an indefinite time, eventually crying turned into sobbing, followed by deep breaths.

Finally she looked up to him, stating: “There are three personalities in one body. You might be a smart man, and as I understand a very talented mechanic, however I think you should have spent some time reading psych books. Maybe then you would have realised that three personalities are two too much. You had a traumatised childhood, I get that, but you can't keep seeing the world with children's eyes: divided in black and white. Everyone has talents, cares about something while also having flaws and bad habits. We all do. People grow up and form one personality, each in a different kind of grey. Neither angelic nor demonic. However you have Jay, the angel, Zoom, the demon and Hunter. Hunter is a hollow ghost of himself. I think he is confused. He barely exists. So when you can't be Jay nor Zoom with me, there is only this hollow shell talking to me. Someone trying to be patient, and being cruel instead. And then suddenly out of the blue here you are, this man I fell in love with.” Caitlyn leaned to his chin and he kissed her on her forehead. He was breathing heavily. No one talked to him like that. Ever. He truly couldn't describe exactly how he felt. He felt bad. And happy. And angry. However, the latter seemed so unimportant right now, he just hugged her firmly. He had never been the introspective kind. Nobody ever gave a shit about him. No one but Cait. Hunter finally got her main point, he thought and loosened the hug and shifted her back, so they could properly face each other. “Good evening, my lady. I am Hunter. It is nice to meet you. Tell me, do you often sit on a stranger's lap in the middle of the night?” He wasn't sure whether that was completely inappropriate, nevertheless it left his mouth with a smirk.

Baffled, she left out a grunting short laugh. “I see, Hunter's quite cockoo. Maybe he could grow up a bit faster?” No reaction. 'I can save them, and maybe I can fix him', she thought shifting them so close together that she could feel him breathing with her own abdomen. Slowly she moved one hand away from his shoulders tousling the back of his hair while resting her nose beside his. Insecure of what was happening and what to do he supported her position by gently griping her hips. 'She is right”, he thought, “she's right.”

“Cait...”, he started, “I am confused.”

“Yes, that is what I just told you.”, she whispered back gently toying his lower lip. He took one deep breath, gripped her back firmly and kissed her. He knew how to kiss her, remembering all the times they were intimate before. Hunter moved his right hand to her cheek, holding them tight together as his tongue entangled with hers. Then he broke the kiss, pushing her away from his face. “Cait. Stop. This is not a good idea. I am still me, I will always be me. I know you don't love me. And you will never stay with me. I need to leave.” Tears swelled up in Caitlyn's eyes again. “You are right. I cannot love Zoom. I hardly know Hunter.” Then her expression turned stern. “If you truly love me, abandon them, Zoom and Jay. Fight for yourself. Fight for me. You want a true challenge? Vow to me that you will do your best and never give up on yourself or us. If Hunter is just half the man Jay was, I gladly be with him.”

Hunter's face was expressionless in surprise. Wiping the tears off the corner of her eyes she got back on her feet and took some steps back. “Choose me. Take your time thinking. Tell me when you're ready.” With that, she turned her back and walked to Star Labs, leaving him overwhelmed behind. 'Yes, Hunter was indeed a confused man', he thought when he watched her walking away from him. And then this weird feeling in his chest stroke again, he suddenly knew he was yearning for her. But he is Zoom. Zoom has plans that have been set in motion.


End file.
